Thomas Legh Claughton
| birth_place = Haydock Lodge, Winwick, Cheshire, England | death_date = July | death_place = Danbury Palace, Essex, England | buried = St. Albans Cathedral | nationality = British | religion = Anglican | residence = Danbury Palace, Essex | parents = Thomas Claughton MP & Maria | spouse = Hon Julia Ward | children = Sir Gilbert Claughton, Bt Amelia, Duchess of Argyll Revd Thomas Claughton Hon Mrs Ronald Campbell | profession = Academic; poet | alma_mater = Trinity College, Oxford }} Thomas Legh Claughton (6 November 1808 - 25 July 1892) was a British academic, poet and clergyman. He was professor of poetry at Oxford University from 1852 to 1857; Bishop of Rochester; and the first Bishop of St Albans.Sutton, C. W. "Claughton, Thomas Legh (1808–1892)." Rev. H.C.G. Matthew. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H.C.G. Matthew & Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. Accessed 10 Feb 2007. Life Claughton was born Haydock Lodge in Haydock, then in Lancashire, the son of Lancashire Member of Parliament Thomas Claughton and his wife, Maria. Educated at The King's School, Chester and Rugby School, he was admitted in 1826 to Trinity College, Oxford, where he took a first in Literae Humaniores in 1831. Remaining at Oxford, he held the post of select preacher to the University four times between 1841 and 1868 and from 1852 to 1857 he held the office of Professor of Poetry. Ordained in 1834, Claughton was assigned no cure until 1841, when he was appointed vicar of Kidderminster. This post he held for 26 years and was widely acclaimed for his work. In April 1867, Claughton was nominated Bishop of Rochester on the recommendation of Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, for whose installation as Chancellor of Oxford Claughton had written an ode. In 1877, the Diocese of St. Albans was created. Essentially land north of the Thames in the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire, previously ministered under Claughton's see, the Diocese of Rochester, formed the new diocese. Possibly as he already resided in the newly created Diocese, Claughton chose to become the first Bishop of St Albans, a post which he held until 1890. He is buried in St. Albans Cathedral. Family Claughton married the Honourable Julia Susannah Ward, eldest daughter of the Earl of Dudley, and had two sons (Sir Gilbert Claughton, 1st Baronet, and Revd Thomas) and two daughters (Amelia and Katharine).The Peerage – Rt Revd Thomas Claughton From his enthronement as 98th Bishop of Rochester to his resignation from the bishopric of St Albans in 1890, Claughton resided at Danbury Palace (near Chelmsford), Essexm where he died. It was a distinguished occupancy as his elder daughter, Amelia, married (for her second time) the Duke of Argyll at a ceremony at the Palace. His widow died at the Priory, Dudley, on 28 May 1902, aged 84. Recognition His poem, "Voyages of Discovery to the Polar Regions", won the Newdigate Prize for 1829. Publications *''Questions on the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels'' (1853–57), 2 vols. See also References External links * Bibliographic directory from Project Canterbury Category:1808 births Category:1892 deaths Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Category:Bishops of Rochester Category:Bishops of St Albans Category:English poets Category:Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford Category:People educated at Rugby School Category:People from Winwick, Cheshire Category:19th-century Anglican bishops Category:Burials at St Albans Cathedral Category:People educated at The King's School, Chester Category:Oxford Professors of Poetry Category:English male poets Category:19th-century English poets Category:British academics